More Photshop Masking Options- Clipping Paths
Clipping paths are a different animal. Rather than selecting an area and
deleting or editing, clipping paths create a silhouette specifically for EPS
images that are placed in page layout programs such as QuarkXpress. The process
is to draw a path to define area, convert it to a clipping path, and save
the file as EPS, including the path. The exact procedure is as follows:
- Select the pen tool and draw a path
to define the mask area. The path will appear in the paths palette under
the name Work Path. Double- click the Work Path and name it as you wish.
- Select Clipping Paths from the Paths
Palette options menu. Select the path you just named from the pop-up
menu and enter a value for the Flatness specification. This determines how
closely the clipping path follows the path drawn. If the path is too complex,
a 0 or 1 Flatness setting can cause Postscript errors, so be careful. For
most paths, a low setting is perfectly fine though. When you click OK, the
path name in the Paths palette will change to outlines, indicating that
a Clipping path is active.
- Select File>Save As, and select
EPS from the file menu. When the file is placed in a page layout program,
it will only reveal the area inside the path. The outside area is hidden,
(although it is not deleted).
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URL: http://www.webreference.com/graphics/
Created: Nov. 16, 1998
Revised: Nov. 10, 1998
